KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 3, 2014 — (PRNewswire) — The Kansas City Art Institute has launched a new fifth-year post-baccalaureate program in art education. The program is aimed at students who are interested in teaching art in Pre-K through Grade 12 public school classrooms.

"With this launch, KCAI becomes the first and only art college in the state of Missouri to offer such a program," said Jacqueline Chanda, Ph.D., president of KCAI. "All other programs preparing students to become classroom art teachers are based in schools of education."

Chanda said KCAI's post-baccalaureate art education program is unique in its vision of preparing B.F.A. graduates to become artist/teachers — professionals who approach teaching with the eye of an artist.

Sheri Klein, Ph.D., coordinator of art teacher certification, directs the program for KCAI. A native of Chicago, Klein earned her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction in art education from Indiana University in Bloomington. She is a former professor and program director of art education at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

The KCAI post-baccalaureate program requires completion of 28 credit hours, all of which can normally be completed in one academic year, including a summer semester. Students who complete the program will be qualified to receive certification for teaching art in the state of Missouri. Chanda said other states have their own certification requirements, but often reciprocity for certification is possible. KCAI has been approved to offer federal financial aid for the program.

"While math, science and language arts are vital elements of the elementary and secondary-school curriculum, art education is equally crucial and should not be regarded as expendable or a luxury," said Chanda, a former classroom art teacher in Los Angeles. "In addition to helping children develop motor skills and visual-spatial skills, art experiences contribute to the development of problem-solving and critical-thinking skills," she said. "Research has shown the benefits of arts education on student motivation, attitudes and attendance, and there is evidence that increased access to art education encourages students to stay in school, succeed in school and experience success later in life."